Beware of fake domain renewal notices appearing to be from your domain registrar.

There has been a surge in fraudulent domain renewal emails circulating again to unsuspecting domain owners. Scammers try to con customers into paying for their domain name by sending misleading emails. The customers are led to believe their domain is up for renewal. When they are actually paying for an unneeded SEO service, or in some cases the authorization to transfer their domain to another registrar.

Ways To Spot Fraudulent Domain Renewal Emails

Though the email appears legitimate, there are ways to spot if it is a fabricated renewal notice.

Fake Sense Of Urgency. Domain registrars send out notices months in advance, so if the email notifies you that your domain expires today, and it has been the first email you have received, it is likely a fraud.

Unknown Sender. Domain renewal emails will come directly from the company you have registered your domain with. Chances are if you received an email from anyone but you domain registrar, it might be a fake renewal notice.

We Do Not Register Or Renew Domain Names. A big indicator of the falsehood of this email is the statement, “We do not register or renew domain names. We sell traffic generator software.” What they are actually offering is a traffic generator software.

The Fine Print. Check and see what the fine print states. In this particular case it reads, “This is not a bill or an invoice. This is a SEO purchase offering. We are a search engine optimization company. We do not register or renew domain names.”

How To Know If Your Domain Needs To Be Renewed

Although these emails look official they do not have anything to do with your actual domain renewal or website visibility. Anyone can view the WHOIS public directory and pull your domain information from it. Reach out to your domain registrar to find out how to achieve privacy for your domain in the public WHOIS listings.

If you own a domain, there is a good chance you will see one of these domain renewal emails landing in your inbox. Do not pay or click on links within this email. If you want to find out when your domain name is actually going to expire visit www.whois.net, call your domain registrar directly, or give us a call at 920-432-0360 and we can tell you in 5-seconds with whom your domain is registered and when your upcoming renewal date is.